The Ghost of a Child
by Evantis
Summary: July 29th. That was the day the entire clan perished. All of them died at the hands of their own flesh and blood prodigy, Uchiha Itachi. He spared no one, not even his little brother
1. Chapter 1: The Ghost

Haha. I know I should be working hard with my other stories like Tragedy's Child and The Robot but this idea has been stuck on my mind for so long I can hardly get it out without feeling free. But now I have posted the first chapter, and I feel wonderful.

This story is talking about ghosts…I hope you don't mind! And I've spent a lot of thought on it! I hope you like it.

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_The Ghost of a Child_

"_**There's a ghost living in that house. He doesn't want to leave. Because he has one more wish before he leaves this world…"**_

_June 29th. That was the day the entire clan perished. All of them died at the hands of their own flesh-and-blood prodigy, Uchiha Itachi. He spared no one, not even his little brother._

_Five years later, Uzumaki Naruto is sent to investigate the scene of the crime. Rumors say that Itachi's little brother's spirit still lives on, trapped in the house, unwilling and unable to get out. They say they hear a boy laughing and crying each night. But no one knows. Because no one dares to enter the forbidden house._

_Then Naruto meets Reona, who was a shaman. And she claims that the boy living in the house will not leave the world, until he has done the last thing he wants to do before he leaves. But nobody knows what it is. And further complications arise when Uchiha Itachi shows up._

_Away from the world, Naruto must teach the boy-ghost the meaning of life, and the reasons he still clings on to it._

"_**I would have liked to spend my life with him."**_

The Ghost

"This mission is a little different from your past missions," Tsunade said. "In this mission, you shall be doing an investigation."

"Investigation?" Naruto scowled. "And by myself? How boring!"

"Oh, you won't find it boring," Tsunade said.

"Fine, fine," Naruto sighed. "Where must I go?"

"Actually," Tsunade said. "You'll be staying here. You see, this mission requires for you to remain in Konoha, because the investigation takes place in Konoha."

"What kind of stupid investigation would that be?" Naruto asked.

"Don't be rude," Tsunade snapped. "First of all, what do you know about the massacre that happened about five years ago?"

"The one that involved an entire clan?" Naruto inquired.

"Yes, what clan was it?" Tsunade questioned.

"Hmm…U…Uchiha, I think."

"Yes, it was the Uchiha clan," Tsunade said. "They were all killed, every one last of them, by their own prodigy, Uchiha Itachi, who is currently labeled and S-Rank criminal is out somewhere on the run. He left nobody alive. He just killed them all, even his little brother."

"How terrible," Naruto commented. "So what's this got to do with my mission?"

"The Uchiha Complex is a cordoned-off section of Konoha," Tsunade said. "The compound serves as a memorial for the massacre that happened there. And it's a historical site, one that is fated never to be eradicated. Therefore, the damage is still there, bloodstains are still there, but all the bodies have been removed. The people living around the Uchiha Complex, especially those living near the representative of the Uchiha clan's house are always complaining about something."

"What thing?" Naruto asked.

"Strange noises," Tsunade replied. "Sometimes it's a laughing sound. Sometimes it's a crying sound. Whichever it is, the noise is harassing, and chilling."

"Are you saying there's a ghost?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You can't possibly believe that!"

"I try not to," Tsunade said. "However, all evidence points straightly at the fact that there might be some form of life still left at the Uchiha Complex, especially at the representative's house. You see, Uchiha Itachi was the representative's first son."

"So what? If you say it's laughing, it can't possibly be the representative since he's like…Itachi's father or something," Naruto said pointedly.

"Yes, we understand that," Tsunade said. "However, the fact is, the representative had another son. A younger son. His second son."

"Oh?"

"And the second son was only seven years old when the massacre happened," Tsunade said. "He was killed, too, of course – the authorities sent his body to the morgue and they buried him somewhere. Everyone was upset about it – because he was so young."

"His brother killed him? What a cold-hearted bastard!" Naruto growled.

"Yes," Tsunade said. "Everyone was commenting and cursing Itachi. Nobody understood why anybody on this earth would want to kill a seven-year-old boy. It was mortifying. At any rate, since the Uchiha clan was so small, that boy was the youngest of his clan. There was a baby belonging to some woman, I remember – but she was killed so it's as good as her child never existed. But that boy was the youngest at that time, the only child attending the Academy."

"So you think he's still alive and prancing around his house?"

"Of course not," Tsunade snapped. "I was there. I saw them take his body to the morgue. More than half of Konoha's population came to his funeral, just for his small section of the funeral, because everyone was just so upset that he died at such a young age. He was truly, too young to die. But he did. And everyone was sorry and upset. I saw them put his body into the earth, and cover it up again. There's absolutely no logical chance that he's actually running around his house. Besides, if he was alive, he'd have enough sense to come out and ask for help."

"You never know," Naruto muttered under his breath. "So you want me to investigate the noise?"

"Yes," Tsunade said. "Your objective is easy. Find out the cause of the noise. I want daily reports. There's no time limit – just try to complete it within your lifespan."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine."

With that, he strolled amiably out of the office.

--

When Naruto reached his small apartment, he was already grumbling to himself. To him, this mission was utterly and totally ridiculous.

_Some noise,_ he thought. Honestly, couldn't people live without complaining about this and that?

He grabbed his haversack and began to proceed out of his apartment. Outside, a familiar face waited for him.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto was stunned. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to give you a bout of good advice since this is the first time you're going on a mission on your own," Kakashi smiled jovially. "I don't think you're responsible enough, so I want to knock your pride down several notches before you head off."

Naruto glared at his teacher. "Kakashi-sensei! I'm capable and responsible enough!"

"Perhaps in other missions," Kakashi said. "But you know this is different. We're dealing with forces we've never met before. Whatever is making that noise…whatever's in that house…it's definitely not human. I don't have a good feeling about this. It's awkward…that house was evicted years ago. It's not possible for anyone to be living there anymore. And yet, whenever the ANBU go and check, there isn't anybody there. It can't be just a bunch of animals making the noise."

"Oh, please – you think it's a ghost?" Naruto rolled his eyes mentally.

"That's a possibility."

"There's no such thing as a ghost!" Naruto flailed his hands to emphasize the point.

"You might never know," Kakashi said sternly. "It's a possibility."

"Oh, _purr-lease_!" Naruto groaned. "Fine, I'll just prove to you there's no such thing as ghost!"

"We'll see," Kakashi ruffled the boy's hair playfully. "I'll see you around, Naruto-_kun._"

"Ah! Zip it!" Naruto said, pushing his sensei's hand out of his head and storming out of his apartment.

"Take care, Naruto-kun!" Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

--

Naruto's temporary quarters were not too far from the Uchiha Complex. One of the people living in the apartments that heard the loudest sounds moved out for just a while, so that Naruto could live there.

The owner of the house was a friendly elderly lady. Her name was Chizu.

She was still there when he arrived, packing some of her things into large carton boxes. She smiled warmly at him, and invited him in.

"Oh, you must be Naruto-chan," Chizu said. Her voice was kind and pleasant, and Naruto liked her at first sight.

"Yeah," Naruto acknowledged. "Pleased to meet you, Chizu-bachaan."

"Would you like some milk and cookies?" Chizu asked.

"Yeah, that'll be great," Naruto replied.

He was led to the living room, where they sat down and had some tea, milk and cookies.

"Chizu-bachaan," Naruto began conversation. "Do you hear a lot of noise from the Uchiha Complex often?"

"Oh, yes," Chizu said. "It's very chilling…but at the same time, it makes me feel very sad."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Do you by any chance know what's making that noise?"

"Well, like everyone here, I have completely no idea what makes that noise," Chizu admitted. "But I do believe…" she sighed. "I know a few things about the Uchiha clan…you see, my sister, Shizu, used to own a bakery in the Uchiha Complex. She was married to a member of the Uchiha clan."

"Oh?" Naruto's interest was triggered. "She was part of the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes," Chizu said. "It was horrifying…the day Itachi-chan killed all of them."

"Itachi?"

"He was the son of the clan's leader," Chizu sighed.

"I know," Naruto said. "Why did he do it?"

Chizu shook her head. "I don't know. But I heard from my sister that there had been disputes within the Uchiha clan just before the massacre. They all said that Itachi's behavior went from bad to worse, strange to stranger. They all believed it was because of the stress that he had from joining ANBU. But it really seemed…that he had lost his way in life. He finally killed them all…that night. Out of rage, depression, sorrow, stress…nobody knows. Nobody understands how he thinks…"

"If you were related to Shizu-san, how come you are safe?" Naruto asked. "If you don't mind my asking," he added.

"Itachi murdered only those who carried the name of Uchiha," Chizu said. "He had no knowledge of me. Shizu seldom spoke of me in the Uchiha clan. Anyway, nobody in the Uchiha clan would be very much interested. They had so many things to fight for, to protect. Their pride, their ego, their goals, their ideals…well…they say that when a man climbs a mountain and reaches the top, the only thing he can do is jump off. The Uchiha clan might their downfall at last…"

"Shizu-bachaan, earlier on, you said that you had some idea of what might be causing the noise – what do you think it is?" Naruto inquired.

"You see, my sister used to admire the younger brother of Itachi-chan – his name was Sasuke-chan, I think," Chizu said. "She used to talk about him all the time – about what a good boy he was, about how nice and pleasant he was, about how kind and gentle he was – and his politeness and courtesy each morning as he walked to wherever he was going."

"You think it's a ghost?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Sasuke-chan never seemed to receive much attention from his family," Chizu said. "After all, his parents were much too busy for him, except perhaps his mother. And his brother was a prodigy…he had more important things to do than play catch with Sasuke-chan. I think…I think Sasuke-chan is still in that house."

"You do realize the odds of that being true, don't you?" Naruto said.

"Yes, of course," Chizu said. "But it's just intuition…it just seems that…Sasuke-chan is really there…waiting…waiting to find out why his brother killed his family…just waiting…just crying…just laughing…"

Naruto didn't exactly think that Chizu was mad, but that was the first thought that came onto his mind. He quickly brushed it away. Chizu wasn't mad, she was just convinced that the little boy her sister was so fond of might actually still be in the house, a wandering spirit, confused because he was a child and he didn't understand things. Confused of why his own brother, his flesh and blood, would commit such a crime.

"But it's impossible," Naruto sighed. "That boy was dead. The Hokage herself saw them bury him."

"I may not understand these things," Chizu sighed. "But I really believe that Sasuke-chan is still there, still waiting, still wondering."

"I'll try to find out the cause of it," Naruto assured her. "I promise. I really will. If it's a broken pipe, I'll fix it. If it's a cat, I'll take it away. And if it's a ghost, I'll tell it to go."

Chizu smiled. "You're the determined one, Naruto-chan."

"Ha, ha," Naruto chuckled. "I'm well-known for that. Chizu-bachaan, you ought to leave before it becomes dark. Thanks for the milk and cookies."

"It was my pleasure, Naruto-chan," Chizu laughed. "I'll see you then, Naruto-chan."

Naruto watched with a slight frown on his tanned face as the old woman left the house, dragging behind her a trolley loaded with carton boxes.

_I'll find out what's in that house._

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How was that? Was it too short? It's shorter than my single chapter at Tragedy's Child, I should think! Haha, I spent an hour on this.

Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: The Abandoned House

Hello everybody! I'm sorry I took so long to post this ridiculously short chapter. But you know, school is not exactly on my side now, so I don't have time to be lolling in front of the computer or in front of my notebook. I scribbled this chapter in between classes but I think it's not really full of grammatical or spelling errors – at least, I hope not!

I'm really grateful for all the reviews I got! I just hope that more keep coming and I'm glad you all like the idea for this story. This chapter doesn't really contain Sasuke – only at the end of the story, we have a dialogue that's obviously from him. I'm sorry I didn't chuck him into the story yet – it's just too early.

Please enjoy!

The Abandoned House

The next morning, Naruto prepared himself for his investigation. He found himself a map of the Uchiha Complex that Chizu had so kindly left behind for him, and headed out of the apartment and to the front door of the complex.

He walked down a long pathway, passing by houses that were black, ripped, with kunai sprouting out of every corner, blood stained on almost all the walls. The sight horrified him. It was disgusting. Blood was _everywhere._

Did that Uchiha Itachi have nothing better to do than to commit some manslaughter? Did he have nothing better to do then manslaughter his clan, his family? His parents? His little brother?

_Nobody human would do that,_ Naruto thought. But Uchiha Itachi was only human. Was he _that_ heartless? Could _anyone_ be so heartless and cruel? It seemed neigh impossible for the young Hokage wannabe.

The Complex was sadly deserted. There was absolutely nobody. Naruto wondered briefly what this place had been like five years ago.

_More life,_ he thought. _And there would be Sasuke._

A thought crossed Naruto's mind. What _was_ Sasuke like? What was his personality? What were his likes and dislikes? What had been his ambition? Naruto knew though, that Sasuke's dreams were crushed the moment he died.

Checking his map, he finally came across the representative's house.

_Itachi and Sasuke's house. What can I possibly find here? A ghost? A cat? An undead person?_

Naruto entered the chilling, eerie house. The inside was dark and dim, the windows all shut firmly. It seemed that the entire house was shrouded in mysterious gloom – gloom that fell upon this house the day its inhabitants all perished. Naruto took in a shuddering breath, gathered his courage, and took a step forward.

He began his oh-so-desired tour around the house. He came across the kitchen, the living room, and the bedrooms that were stained all with crimson blood that had dried up in five years. But there was a faint smell as the coppery signature of blood carved its place in the atmosphere of the house. The smell lingered, and Naruto felt almost sick.

He came across a particular room – small and grubby and stained with more blood than all the other rooms put together. It was as if a person had bled dry here.

Blood soiled the bed sheets and crusted on the wall. The tatami floor was caked with blood.

Naruto saw a teddy bear, also bloody, next to the pillow on the bed. He also saw children's books on the shelves. Its design, its features, its contents all fit that of a child's bedroom – a boy's bedroom. A little boy had lived here, and he had died here as well.

_This must be Sasuke's room,_ Naruto thought. _It's a kid's room…all this blood…was he killed here?_

It was clear that Sasuke died a most gruesome death – one worse than the end his parents met. _How had he died?_ Naruto found himself sadistically wondering. He hit himself for that kind of malicious thought.

Why was he even interested in finding out how this boy met his end? Was it because of how young an age he died at? Or was it just pure curiosity? It was sadistic and this house sent chills down his spine. It wasn't just the number of people who died here…it was the fact that the had been killed by their own family. Naruto was beginning to feel extremely frightened, as much as he hated to admit it. Sweat dribbled down his cheeks, and he longed to finish this mission and never come back to the Complex again.

_What kind of historic site is this? Who in their right minds would want to come here?_ Naruto looked around the room. _And what the hell did Itachi do to Sasuke?_

At that very moment, at that very second, to his utmost surprise and horror, a chilling, cold, frighteningly boyish voice filled the air.

"_Who are you?"_

_-_

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That's it, folks! How was it? Did it kind of creep you out? I suppose it's very light spook, anyway. Who was that voice at the end? Any guesses? Ha, ha, ha.

Okay, okay – I'll try to throw Sasuke into the story at the next chapter…somehow. Maybe, if I have time today again, I'll post it up. I almost finished the next chapter – it's just fuddled here and there and hard to piece together now.

Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3: The Encounter

Hey, y'all! Sorry I took ages to update. I was kind of busy. School stuff. Anyway, I'm REALLY overwhelmed by the number of reviews I got! Keep in mind I love you all and I REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate your reviews! They bright up my day!

Last Chapter: It was stupidly short, I know. But this chapter will be longer, I promise. Anyway, it was kind of a cliffhanger last chapter where somebody said, "Who are you?" I'll let you guess who it is.

This Chapter: It's an encounter between Naruto a certain boy…

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The Encounter

"What the –" Naruto flinched. This was the perfect setting for a Halloween spook. Adding that to that creepy voice he'd just heard, he wondered who on this good earth would not be spooked out of their minds. "Who's…w…who's there?" he demanded, mustering his withering courage.

"_Why are you here?"_

"C-come out, you coward!" Naruto yelled, backing towards the bed.

"Who are you?"

Naruto spun around in a mad frenzy and saw a boy sitting on the bed. _Had he been there before…?_

The boy was in creamy white shorts that rode above his knees, and he had on a dark blue shirt with a hood that was lined with gray. It was obvious the underside of the shirt was cream. He was wearing standard black ninja sandals.

But it wasn't his clothes that stunned Naruto – it was the boy himself. He had pale, creamy porcelain skin that was far too feminine. His eyes were coal-black that rivaled that of his ebony hair that fell around gracefully around his face, and was slightly spiked at the back. His expression was a little questioning, and his head was cocked slightly. His features were so innocent, and with the radiance of a mere child. But he was clearly about Naruto's age.

"Why are you here?" he asked again. His voice was innocent, gentle and boyish. He was just too innocent to be true.

"I…uh, um…uh, I'm here to carry out an investigation," Naruto admitted at last.

The boy looked crestfallen. "You didn't come to play with me?"

_Play with you? Play with you! Look at yourself, kid – you're twelve, like me!_ But Naruto didn't give his scornful remark to the boy, he just asked, "How old are you?"

"I don't know," the boy said.

"Aren't you seven?"

"Am I?" the boy looked confused. "Why do you know things about me when I don't even know?"

"What's your name?" Naruto held his breath.

"My name…" the boy paused and looked at Naruto for a moment. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. What about you?"

Naruto let his breath out. He felt like screaming. _This boy died five years ago! This boy died five years ago! What the hell am I thinking! Why am I even _talking_ to a corpse! Curse that old hag for making me do a mission like this! I'm talking to a dead boy!_

"Err…I'm…Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto blurted out. "Err…are you real?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. But you look real to me."

"Well, I am," Naruto said. "Just hold still for a moment." He reached out his tan fingers and brushed them lightly against Sasuke's cheek, touching his black strands.

_Warmth._ Sasuke was _warm_. But, hell – he was dead, wasn't he? He looked so alive. _Is this what ghosts are like? Talking, animated…and warm?_

"Sasuke…right?"

Sasuke nodded. Then, he asked, "What are you investigating?"

"You," Naruto said truthfully. "Are you here alone?"

Sasuke nodded. "Nobody is here anymore."

"Where is everybody?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said. "I'm waiting."

"For what?" Naruto couldn't resist asking.

"My Niisan," Sasuke said, as if it was the most common thing in the world and Naruto was a complete idiot not to know. "Niisan is coming back."

_Niisan…Niisan…Itachi! What the hell! Doesn't this kid know that the one who killed his family – hell, killed him – is that cursed Uchiha Itachi?_

"Sasuke…do you know…why you are like this?" Naruto asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. _Maybe he doesn't know he's dead…_

To his surprise, Sasuke snapped angrily, "I do!" Naruto was a little taken aback. He flinched. He had a sudden vision of a hundred vampires chasing after him with a ghastly horde of bats flying behind. "I'm not stupid!" Sasuke went on quite obstinately. He looked childish and perfectly adorable – the perfection of pale innocence but at that moment, Naruto was mainly thinking how he would die in this boy's hands. "I know I'm dead!"

Naruto got back to reality. "I…I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I just thought…" he trailed off. Sasuke was looking at the ground and the air in the room seemed to give fifty times thicker.

"I know I'm dead," Sasuke whispered. "I know. I don't eat anymore. I don't drink anymore. I don't breathe anymore. I don't sleep anymore…I know…I know…because Niisan killed me."

"Niisan?" Naruto's eyes widened. _He does know who killed him, after all!_

"He killed Mommy, Daddy and…" Sasuke looked at Naruto with such an expression that made Naruto's heart break. "He killed me."

There was silence. Then, Naruto broke it with some determination and less fear. This boy was harmless. He was just a kid – just a child who somehow looked twelve. He was only a boy. "Why would he?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know."

Naruto frowned. _If the kid knows, why isn't he mad with that damned bastard? _"Don't you hate him for it?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, he's my Niisan. I know he killed Mommy and Daddy and me, but he is still my Niisan. Mommy says people can change. And Mommy says that the greatest liberation is to forgive."

_Jeez, he was brought up in a sentimental home…_ Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Why didn't you go with your parents?"

"I don't want to," Sasuke said. "I want to wait for Niisan. He'll come home one day. I know."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will," Sasuke said, a tone of determination. "Niisan isn't bad."

_Yeah, he's so good that he killed you. You silly boy…you really don't understand anything, do you? Don't you realize that you're waiting for your greatest enemy? Your murderer?_ Naruto really didn't understand the kid. He was so innocent, so naïve.

"Why are you investigating me?"

"Are you making funny noises here?" Naruto asked.

"Noises?" Sasuke cocked his head. _Damn! He's so cute when he does that!_ Naruto thought heatedly to himself.

"Like, laughing or crying," Naruto said.

"Don't you laugh and cry?" Sasuke asked innocently.

_Yes, I do. But I don't wake the entire neighborhood up when I laugh or cry!_ "Well, never mind. Aren't you lonely here?"

Sasuke nodded. "I want to wait for Niisan, but I feel lonely here. It's sometimes very scary. There's nobody here but me."

"Then why don't you go?"

"Because Mommy says people can change," Sasuke said flatly. "And Niisan _can_ change!"

"Sasuke, I don't mean to be rude or anything…but," Naruto swallowed hard. "If he was your brother, would he have killed you and your parents?"

"Are you saying Niisan can't change?" Sasuke asked.

"I didn't say that," Naruto figured he'd better rephrase his question in simpler times. "I'm just saying that it's very…weird that you would wait for the person who killed you."

It seemed that the world had crashed down in between them. Naruto was feeling guilty and Sasuke looked a little thoughtful. The air was thick and heavy, and it was crushing Naruto.

"Niisan…" Sasuke whispered, his voice timid. Then, it grew louder and more determined to prove Naruto wrong. "May have killed Daddy. He may have killed Mommy. He may have killed me! But I know…I know! Niisan always said he loved me! He always said that he did things for the best! I know he _did things for the best!_" Sasuke glared at Naruto, making the blond flinch. "Niisan would _never_ do anything without a good reason."

Naruto wondered if he would _ever_ be endeared to his murderer. _How can he love his brother even when he killed him? This is just…not right. But he's only a boy…he's only a boy…he can't understand yet…he's only a boy…_

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to…"

"I know," Sasuke whispered. He cocked his head. "Do you have to go?"

Naruto looked out of the window. He had to report to Tsunade-bachaan now.

"Yes," Naruto said. "I'm afraid I have to go now. I need to do something now."

"Will you come back?" Sasuke asked.

"Do you want me to?"

Sasuke nodded quickly. "Will you come back to play with me?"

"Of course," Naruto said. He smiled. Then, he slowly reached out and stroked Sasuke's cheek. "That's a promise. Okay?"

_Then, Sasuke gave him the most beautiful smile Naruto had ever seen._

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How was that? Was it long enough?

I'd like to explain, "The greatest liberation is to forgive". It's not my original saying. It's a Chinese saying, okay? I learnt a lot while I was in China. I translated it the best I could, with some help from my chums.

I'll be updating as soon as I possibly can. I'm really busy and I have to squeeze my stories into my tight schedule.

Love you all! Don't forget to R & R!


	4. Chapter 4: The Decision

Hello, everybody! I've been busy, as usual – but I managed to get this story up! A note of notice for all of you who read Tragedy's Child…

I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages! But you know, that story needs long, wordy chapters that really take my time up – and I never seem to be able to stop writing a single chapter of Tragedy's Child so you're going to have to wait till next week! I promise next week, the next chapter WILL be up!

And in case none of you have noticed, I have just posted a new story called "Hold Your Heart". Please, please, please check it out. It's not one of my stories where Sasuke is REALLY the pathetic uke, okay? He can talk, but of course, he's still being his kiddy, naive self. The plot is that Naruto has to choose between Gaara, who is the crush of his life, and Sasuke, who is his best friend.

That aside – back to THIS story. Anyway, I'm glad so many of you like this story!

Last Chapter: Naruto talks to Sasuke! How cool is that? Heh, but now he'll face the tough job of convincing his lady boss that there IS a ghost in there!

This Chapter: Convincing Tsunade and also, we find out – in many, many words – how Sasuke actually died. Gruesome – but I've made it into civilized text. Oh, and Sasuke has a different personality than from the earlier chapter! Why? You'll have to find out yourself! Oh, and there's a short introduction to Reona, the shaman! Don't worry about fake characters destroying the story! Her part of the story is just a small one – to explain how come Sasuke looks twelve when he's actually seven, and how come he is still there.

Please enjoy!

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The Decision

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"It's true!" Naruto yelled, waving his arms to emphasize the point. He was irritated, and he was angry.

"Hmm…you must realize how unbelievable your story is," Tsunade said pointedly.

"Exactly," Shizune agreed. "We can't just _nod_ to it. It's just…so…"

"Fake?" Naruto glared.

"Fictional," Shizune admitted.

"After all," Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You didn't believe there was even anybody living there. How can you expect us to believe your ghost tale anyway?"

"You have to! It's true! I _saw_ him! As real as day!" Naruto yelled angrily. "His name was Sasuke, he looked about my age, he had white skin and hair and eyes the color of the night! He was there! And damn it! He was _asking me to play with him!_"

"My, my – that's even harder to believe," Kakashi shook his head. "And how on earth can he look your age when he died at the age of five?"

"Seven," Shizune corrected.

"Seven," Kakashi repeated.

"How would I know? Find yourselves an exorcist!" Naruto folded his arms and glared balefully at Tsunade. "Heavens, you ask me to investigate, I investigate. You ask me to report, but you don't believe my report! What the hell do you expect me to do? Are you going to consider this as an unaccomplished mission? Failed, more like. Or do you want Kakashi-sensei to be witness number two for you?"

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Tsunade said. "After all, your story fits in perfect arrangement with what the residents around the complex say. Yes, he is a boy. He will laugh, and he will cry. Yes, he is a boy. He will ask you to play with him, when he sees you. Yes, he is a boy. He's naive and actually believes that Itachi can change, and that he's not a bad person. He's only a boy, Naruto. I know. But it's the fact…"

"The fact that he's actually there," Shizune said helpfully.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "After all, he _did_ die."

"It's the truth," Naruto said flatly.

"Really?" Tsunade looked at him seriously. "No jokes, no pranks. Only the truth. Did you see Sasuke?"

"Yes," Naruto said, his voice steady. "I saw him. Hell, I _touched_ him."

"Was he real, for sure? A real ghost? Not your hallucination or anything?"

"He was warm, and his skin was smooth," Naruto recalled the feeling of Sasuke's warm cheek, his silky black strands when he first reached out to the boy who was there, and yet not really there. He recalled the innocence on Sasuke's face and the pure childlike boyishness of his actions and words. He recalled the boy's obstinate sayings about Itachi. He recalled Sasuke's radiant, beautiful smile.

_Had he really been there? Or was it a dream?_

"I didn't know ghosts were warm," Kakashi said flatly. "I didn't even know you could touch them."

"I could," Naruto said flatly. "In fact, he appeared out of nowhere. That justifies him as a ghost, doesn't it? I heard his voice – it seems to come from everywhere – then I called out to him to come out and show himself, and suddenly he was sitting on the bed in the room."

"Room?"

"Sasuke's bedroom," Naruto said. "You know, his actual bedroom before he died."

"He wasn't there before?" Kakashi asked.

"No, it was like he appeared out of nowhere," Naruto said. "One moment he wasn't there, and the next, he was sitting there asking me who I was."

"Okay, now that we have settled the fact that he _was_ there, we have to settle the fact that he really is Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade said.

"But he is!" Naruto protested.

"You said he looked twelve, just like you," Tsunade said. "I even have a picture of him as a seven year old. He doesn't look twelve at all, when he was seven. I have asked about the entire ANBU organization – and each of them agree that the boy in the picture doesn't look close to twelve – not even to ten. But you said he looked twelve, when he really died at seven."

"Twelve minus seven is five," Shizune said. "Isn't it strange that it's been five years since the clan was slaughtered, and Sasuke looks five years older?"

"Ghosts don't grow," Tsunade grumbled. "When they die, their lives stop that, at that age, at that period of time."

"But he really did look twelve," Naruto said. "Do you have the picture now?"

"Of course." Tsunade opened her drawers and searched, feeling her way through the little hills of papers in the drawers. Finally, she pulled out a photograph and set it on the table. Everyone bent over to look.

On the picture was a boy – grinning mischievously. His eyes were a bright midnight, so bright they seemed to cut right through you. His pale skin almost glowed. His hair was as black as coal, and shone.

_Sasuke._

Sure, the boy was shining with what looked more like a toddler than a seven-year-old, but he was definitely Sasuke. There was no mistaking the black hair and eyes, the pale skin and that childish face. Of course, this boy in the picture looked a little mischievous.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade said triumphantly. "Now, was that boy in the house somewhat like him? Rather – very like him?"

"Oh, old woman," Naruto gazed in shock at this boy. Realization seemed hard.

_This boy is already dead._

_How can he be talking to me?_

"That boy is definitely an older version of Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said.

"So his body has grown…but his mind has not?" Kakashi mused aloud.

"Perhaps," Shizune said. "It seems to several mentally unstable people. We have about six cases of this mental deformity. They range from twenty to forty years of age, but they act, behave and think like children."

"Psychology doesn't play much of a part with ghosts," Kakashi objected. "This boy hasn't grown. I mean, he _died_. Does _anybody_ know how just what on earth is going on?"

"Growing ghosts, talking ghosts, ghosts that actually feel real," Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not an exorcist and I really have no idea what's going on. Logically and statistically speaking, nothing like this can _ever_ happen, from a scientific point of view."

"_Science_ is not important now!" Naruto banged his fist on the table. "Sasuke is just a kid! All he wants is to see his brother, and then he'll go! He just wants to _see his brother change!_ It's not _science_ or _logic_ or any of that damned rubbish that keeps him going – it's just his spirit! He's only a kid, but he's got spirit!"

"Naruto-kun is right," Shizune said. "We have to accept that that boy is really there. But who can really explain and understand all of this?"

"I know someone who can," Tsunade said.

"Who?" Kakashi asked.

"She's an old friend of mine, and she's an experienced exorcist," Tsunade said. "Her name is Reona. Mizumochi Reona. Actually, she's a shaman, but she does exorcism."

"We're _not_ going to force Sasuke to leave!" Naruto yelled in horrified rage. "How can you force him to go?"

"Then what?" Tsunade demanded. "You don't expect me to write a party invitation to Uchiha Itachi and ask him to come here and kiss his brother goodbye and prove to him by working at some orphanage that he's changed, do you? I can't comply to that kid's wishes! No matter how tragic his story is, no matter how tragic his entire self is, I can't comply to that!"

"Calm down, the both of you," Kakashi said. "Tsunade-sama, how soon can we get Reona here?"

"Getting her here is no problem," Tsunade snorted. "She owes me quite a lot."

"She's a gambler, too? Man, she can't be trusted then!" Naruto said, pouting slightly.

"Not as in money, idiot!" Tsunade snapped. "I saved Reona's life about ten times in a straight row. She owes me a lot, as in that. She'll help me whenever I need it. But as you can see, I don't tango with ghosts so I never really need her help. She says she can hear the ghosts speak, and she can tell them to leave. She's a shaman, and she can talk to them. But like I said, she'll come and help for sure, but it's a big issue _finding _her. She's always hopping from one place to another. She never stays in a certain place for long."

"So that'll be trouble for us," Kakashi sighed. "In the meantime, maybe Naruto could…interact more with Sasuke."

"That'll be a thrill," Tsunade said sarcastically. "Legally speaking, his mission is already over. I only assigned him the task of investigation, not the task of interaction."

"Like that'll stop Naruto-kun from going to see him," Shizune muttered.

"Maybe Naruto wouldn't mind a follow-up mission to this case," Kakashi said.

"I wouldn't," Naruto said quickly. "I really want to see him again. Anyway, even if you don't give me something to do with him, I'll still go and see him. And don't you dare get that Reona to scare him or force him away! I'll never forgive any of you for that!"

Tsunade snorted. "Whatever, you brat. Anyway, your mission from now on till Reona has some sort of solution is to keep that ghost-boy company, and earn as much of his trust as you can. Get him to get used to you, to know you as a friend, and not as an enemy. I hereby declare that this will be a B-Rank mission assigned to Uzumaki Naruto."

"Yes, yes! Leave it all to Uzumaki Naruto-sama!" Naruto grinned foxily.

"You should be on your way, then," Kakashi said.

"Oh, and Naruto?" Tsunade said.

"Hmm?"

"I'd like to have a talk with you for a while," Tsunade said. She looked at Shizune and Kakashi, their faces shining with curiosity. "In private. So the two of you, out."

Discontentedly, Shizune and Kakashi went out of the office, leaving Tsunade with Naruto. Naruto looked at the old woman as if she were crazy, and then asked, "What?"

"I want you to look at the medical reports of Sasuke," Tsunade said. "Because it may tell you a little more about Sasuke, and about the life he led. There are also biological reports, school reports, and so on."

"I don't want to know _everything_ about him!"

"You have to, as he is the center of your mission," Tsunade said. "You must know _every single thing_ about him."

Naruto groaned but nonetheless, he dived into Sasuke's school reports first. Was Sasuke smarter than him? Brighter than him? If Sasuke had been alive, would he able to do missions with Naruto?

_Holy crap! The kid is smarter than me by tons! First in class, first in school, first in class, first in school…he's first in everything!_

"As you can see, Sasuke was quite a smart child," Tsunade said. "He was always praised for his brilliance, and he was always first in class and in the entire Academy. Had he been alive today, I believe he could be taking his Chuunin Exam, and he might have passed with flying colors. It was a pity about his death. At any rate, he was a very clever child."

Naruto threw the school reports to one side and fetched the biological reports. "Yikes! What a load of gibber!"

"It's not gibber," Tsunade said flatly. "It's Sasuke's family tree, starting from his very first ancestors of the Uchiha clan. I think Sasuke is the fourteenth generation of the clan. His father and mother are the thirteenth, his grandparents are the twelfth, and so on. Today, none of the Uchiha clan exists in Konoha. The only one who's alive is that S-Rank criminal we're trying so desperately to capture. Only he has the power to revive the clan, but the question is whether his children will find their way back to their ancestors' home. That is, of course, if he has any children at all."

Naruto gave a brief look at the entire family tree. The Uchiha clan consisted of hundreds of members. They must have been a big family.

"But of course, when Itachi killed them, the clan was very small," Tsunade said. "Compared to the Hyuuga clan, who was and still is flourishing. However, the Uchiha clan was still the most distinguished in Konoha."

Medical reports. He flipped them open.

All of a sudden, Tsunade's face turned dark. "Ignore the first few pages. They're of no importance. They're just the amount of times Sasuke had been admitted to the hospital because of one thing or another. Flip to the page where the pathologists recorded down their reports from the autopsy."

It was near the very end of the thin booklet.

"Sasuke died a gruesome death," Tsunade said. "One of the pathologists who examined his body was Morino Ibiki, our expert on human anatomy, and as you might know by now, the team captain of ANBU's torture and interrogation team. We called him to help in the autopsy as Sasuke showed signs of having been tortured before his death. As Ibiki is the captain of the torture and interrogation team, we asked him to define the type of torture Sasuke had faced. The lead pathologist had been Yuritsuko Harumi. She was in charge of the mental torture Sasuke had went through. Another pathologist, Toriku Riechi looked for any kinds of genjutsu Sasuke might have been trapped in."

"The results?" Naruto asked.

"We'll start with the less gruesome part of Sasuke's death," Tsunade said. "Riechi showed that Sasuke had gone through some sort of genjutsu. But that is understandable enough – Itachi was a master of genjutsu, as most Uchiha clan members are. Especially when one is armed with the Mangekyou Sharingan, he is the ultimate master of genjutsu. Apparently, the Mangekyou Sharingan allows one to make another face a certain ordeal as many times as pleased. And the pain the victim faces is also in the power of the Sharingan-user."

"So Itachi played the tape all over again a thousand times for Sasuke to see?" Naruto clenched his fists.

"Exactly," Tsunade said. "So we say that Sasuke was tortured many times. Moreover, the Tsukiyomi, an attack of the Mangekyou Sharingan, allows the user to control time and mass. That means that one second in the real world could be hundreds of hours in the other world. So you face horrible, long torture, when it's actually one second."

"That bastard," Naruto growled.

"Agreed," Tsunade said. "Now, Harumi was in charge of the mental aspect of the torture. Sasuke's mind has been broken literally. He showed signs of great trauma, and whatever Itachi did, sliced a big hole in his heart. Sasuke had been completely traumatized by the event. And Harumi also found out that part of the mental torture was using Tsukiyomi to make Sasuke watch the massacre of the clan, though he had not been there when Itachi actually killed the clan."

"I'm going to kill him," Sasuke growled.

"Ibiki did the physical aspect of the torture," Tsunade said. "Apparently, seventy-eight bones in Sasuke's skeletal system had been fractured, eighteen of them broke literally and twenty of them were crushed to bits."

"I'll downright kill that guy!" Naruto roared, leaping from his seat.

"Sit down!" Tsunade said sternly and Naruto reluctantly obeyed. "That had been severe blood loss, and Sasuke had clearly been hit by a whip on the back many times. There were lots of marks across his back and on his arms and legs, too. One of his legs were broken, two of his elbows smashed, and a wrist was fractured. And also Itachi…"

She trailed off. Naruto got annoyed and demanded, "What did that bastard do now?"

"He raped Sasuke," Tsunade sighed. "Literally. The evidence was very clear."

"What!" Naruto shrieked. "How can that boy freaking love his brother still? Still think that he's a good guy? Itachi freaking…freaking made him a whore!"

"Naruto! I understand your feelings of rage and discontent, but this is life," Tsunade said. "They are brothers, after all. Sasuke was made to love him."

"I've got a bone to pick with the guy," Naruto growled. He stood up.

"Wait!" Tsunade called.

"What _now_?" Naruto spun irritably around.

"When Sasuke cries, I expect he's thinking of what Itachi did to him," Tsunade said. "You ought to be gentle with him, when he's not feeling…normal or whatever."

"Don't you think I know?" Naruto snarled and marched out of the officer.

"Don't go after him just yet," Tsunade said. "You've have a long day and you should rest. Go and see him again tomorrow."

"I will."

---

The next morning, Naruto had no chance of seeing Sasuke. Sakura needed his help and so did a couple of his friends. It was Hinata's birthday two days from then, and everybody wanted to make for her a pleasant surprise. The ringleader of the entire event was Sakura herself. She said that they needed to improve Hinata's confidence and make him feel really part of the gang, so what better way to show that than with a party? Naruto had to make the balloons and help the other guys fix up Kiba's living room, which was the largest and where the party would be held.

By nighttime, he was already very tired but he forced himself to the complex. He hadn't told anybody about Sasuke yet – nobody needed to know. After all, who was to say that Sasuke would still be there today?

But Sasuke was there.

But this time he wasn't laughing.

This time he wasn't crying.

This time he wasn't asking questions.

Naruto searched the entire house and called out his name, before he chanced upon the silent, wilting Japanese garden at the back of the house. Sasuke was curled up in a little ball and leaning against the wall of the house and he was looking at the garden. Naruto noticed he was crying, and his entire body was shaking.

"Sasuke…?"

Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes wide and watery, so childlike, so innocent. "N…N-Naruto…"

"What happened, Sasuke?" Naruto had planned on screaming his head off at the boy, but decided against it. He knelt down slowly next to Sasuke and touched his shoulder. "What happened?"

When Sasuke didn't say anything, Naruto reached out to touch those black strands, when suddenly Sasuke jerked to his feet and backed up against the wall, screaming.

"No! No…no! Don't touch me! I'll be good…I'll be a good boy! Just don't…don't! Go…go away! Don't hurt me…please…no! No…no…"

He slid slowly to the ground, his back against the wall and wrapped his knees up to his chest and cried out his pleas for that invisible attacker to stop.

---

---

---

How was that? Was it a little bit too corny? Did I put the torture part into more mild and civilized text? Please give me your comments! Sasuke was raped? O.o haha, I just love that kind of sadistic things. Sasuke IS much better when he's a helpless, scared kid than when he's the arrogant bastard he is in the show. Oh, well.

I hope you all liked it.

Don't forget to R & R as usual!


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